Our family was lucky enough to spend some time in Mazatlan in July, and by “lucky enough” I mean we were smart enough to budget for it the rest of the year. I love telling the story of how I told my girls they could choose between driving to Idaho and flying to Mexico IF they wanted to buy their own plane ticket there. I … Continue reading How Many Pesos?
Our goldfish Sushi died one night. Were there tears in my home the next day? Sadly yes. I had preached a sermon and made fun of goldfish as pets (or something) about a year ago which elicited a dark response from the audience. I responded “Wow Airdrie, did I miss some sort of goldfish smuggling operation in the City?” One of my guys thought it … Continue reading Death of Sushi
Hold your nose ‘cause here goes the cold water. I’m not even going to tell you who said that (don’t sue me Eminem). Most of us lose an argument in the first ten seconds. If you grew up in an unhealthy home conflict was always bad. It left broken pieces behind and things we did and said that we can only look back now and … Continue reading The 10 Second Rule
I hate having smirky kids. Oh, it’s not that they have bad attitudes (most of the time), they’re just smirky and confident. They got it from me but it doesn’t help when they’re using my tricks against me. Obviously something happened that made me think this and here’s the story: We started up our small groups for Venue across the City this week and have … Continue reading When Worlds Collide
Have you ever been to a good “open mic” session at a wedding? I haven’t. I can guarantee that the first person who suggested an open mic was the guy who should never be allowed to use it. “Let’s carefully plan a wedding down to every detail, but we have this ten minute slot during the reception that we should fill with something psychotic and … Continue reading No More Open Mics
The year was maybe 1983. I was maybe 8. The place was Pasadena Cali. I didn’t know when I woke up that it was going to be the worst day of my life, worst days rarely announce themselves over the intercom: “Good morning Corey. Welcome to the worst day of your life! Don’t forget to brush your teeth!” I was actually looking forward to the … Continue reading Bad Timing
Why is it that most mornings I’m half distracted when my girls are talking to me on the way to school? From Katie’s stories which are always far too detailed to hold my attention, to Neela’s ridiculous little ramblings about butterflies, it’s hard to focus. My older two talk on a different level about relationships and their subsequent pressures and joys, and I can’t help … Continue reading The Walk to School
Hiking: “A strenuous walk in nature’s beauty that you can’t look up and enjoy or you’ll trip on a rock and fall off a mountain” This basically sums up hiking for me. As I was walking recently with my family and our friends, my thoughts began as per usual on every hike I’ve ever been on: “It’s breathtaking out here. I love walking, why don’t … Continue reading A River Ran Through Me
I am a firstborn son of a firstborn son of a firstborn son. I was born with a sixth sense that the buck stopped with me. This is a feeling the middle child carefully avoids and the baby of the family doesn’t even know exists… Most firstborns suffer from the guilt and responsibility only two full-time parents with no other distractions (children) can apply … Continue reading Birth Order
Me: “What’s wrong with that crew? They’re taking forever!” Site General: “They’ve got no FLOW” He was right. Flow is everything, specifically flowing from one good decision to the next. Early in my work career, before I began pastoring, I was still learning the ropes of people and project management which have proven to be invaluable, when I came across a scenario that … Continue reading It’s About Flow
COREY KOPE 